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Two homes that recently went up for sale on a busy section of Whangaparaoa Road, opposite Coast Plaza and next to Whangaparaoa College, are being offered as a single lot of 2208sqm, with resource consent already granted to build 20 townhouses.
The sites, 694 and 696 Whangaparaoa Road, are zoned Residential – Terraced Housing and Apartment and have access directly onto Whangaparaoa Road near traffic lights.
The zoning allows for high density housing of up to five storeys but the apartments proposed are mostly two storeys high. There is a standalone dwelling as well as three blocks of terraced houses proposed.
In the resource consent application, it is noted that the local road network is currently congested at peak times and that the development, should it go ahead, will contribute further to this.
“The proposal will result in an increase of potential vehicle movements to the local road network by approximately 180 vehicle movements”, the application states. “However, the zoning appears to allow for this level of development and the long-term plan has a number of proposals to address this.”
Two large street trees, and potentially more from the site itself, could be removed under the proposal.
The “cut and paste” nature of many resource consent applications is shown by the statement in the Assessment of Environmental Effects that: “The location of the site means that it is well connected, noting that the residential area is close to the Glen Eden Town Centre, and good transport links are provided to other commercial areas and the CBD”!
Whether or not the apartments consented and proposed here are built, depends on the purchaser of the land, however the zoning makes increased density the most likely outcome. There are other examples of town houses and terraced apartments built under this zoning in the vicinity of Whangaparaoa Town Centre, and it is clear that there could be many more. In the application, it states that the scale and form of developments envisaged within the Terraced Housing and Apartment zone is not necessarily reflective of the predominant built form that currently exists.
“Consequently, the appearance of these neighbourhoods will evolve. Until that time, new developments that apply the zone’s provisions may be noticeably different to that of their surrounds, however this does not mean that they are incompatible.”
The company that applied for the consent is Whangaparaoa Road Living, whose sole director, Ye Bi, is also listed as the director of around 17 other companies. The consent was not publicly notified.
The sites are being marketed by Barfoot & Thompson.
